“My boyfriend and I were looking for a puppy for my best friend for her birthday. She has a boxer that’s 8 and wanted a companion for her dog as well as herself (for when her dog passes).

She is a maternal person and enjoys caring for others.

She left it up to me to pick out her dog. She wanted it to be a surprise.

We definitely wanted to get her a rescue.

We found a boxer lab mix and filled out the forms.

A few days before the puppy was supposed to be shipped from Tennessee, the man from the rescue group told me, the puppy had parvo, (a deadly virus) and didn’t survive.

He had a few puppies that weren’t right for her lifestyle, so we told him to hold on to our deposit and we would check back with him.

About a month and a half later he called and said he just got a litter of lab mix puppies. We saw the photos and decided it was a perfect time to get one for ourselves, too. We got two sisters. They get to play together often, living in the same city.

I told her my boyfriend and I were coming to her neighborhood for Bloody Mary’s. When I got there I asked her to come downstairs and let us in. She saw her puppy wrapped in a bow and kissed it. She was overwhelmed with joy and began to cry. I let her have her moment and then I showed her Isabelle, her puppy’s sister.